Game Objective

In this game, you take on the role of 19th-century capitalists building industrial corporations. Your goal is to make as much money as possible by purchasing Company cards, extracting resources, and processing them in the most effective combinations. The wealthiest player wins the game.

Setup

1. Each player receives a random Start-up card, a random Capitalist card, a Player’s Color token, and a set of 4 Capital discs (valued 1, 2, 3, and 4).
2. If a player's Capitalist card grants an additional disc, they also take the neutral-colored Capital disc (value 2).
3. Each player gains the resources listed at the top of their Start-up card (this happens only once).
4. Place the Round counter in the middle of the table and set it to "1".
5. Shuffle the Company deck and place it on the Round counter with the upgraded side up.
6. Randomly choose the 1st player and give them the 1st player token.

Game Flow

The game is played over 4 rounds. Each round consists of two distinct phases:

• Auction Phase: Players bid on available companies using their Capital discs.
• Production Phase: Players operate their companies to gain, process, or sell resources and upgrade their corporations.

At the end of the round, the 1st player token passes to the left and the Round counter is advanced. After the 4th round, the game ends and scoring begins.

Actions and How to Play

The Auction Phase

The 1st player deals a row of Company cards with the basic side up. The number of cards depends on the player count: 6 cards for 2 players, 7 cards for 3 players, and 8 cards for 4 players.

Players take turns clockwise placing one Capital disc on an available card. Two rules apply:

• A player cannot place two of their own discs on the same card.
• Two discs of the same value cannot be placed on the same card.

Cards are resolved from left to right. The player with the highest bid receives the card. All other players who bid on that card receive a Compensation effect. The winner of the card does not receive compensation.

The Production Phase

Players resolve their Company cards and Start-up cards. Each card can be activated only once per phase. While cards can be activated in any order, once you move to a new card, you cannot return to a previous one.

Types of Effects:

• Extraction: Mandatory effects where the owner must gain the indicated resources.
• Processing: Optional effects (indicated by an arrow). The player may discard resources on the left to gain resources on the right. The number above the arrow indicates the maximum number of times this can be done per phase.

Card States:

• Basic side up: Only the Basic effect (fully colored symbols) can be resolved.
• Upgraded side up: Both the Basic effect and the Additional effect can be resolved, from top to bottom.

Start-up cards: These are single-sided and cannot be upgraded. Their effects allow players to gain an Upgrade token or upgrade (flip over) any number of Company cards at a cost of 1 Coal and 1 Upgrade token per card.

Compensation Effects

When a player is outbid during the Auction Phase, they resolve the Compensation effect based on their disc's value:

• If it is an Extraction effect, the player gains the indicated resources multiplied by the value of their disc.
• If it is a Processing effect, the player may resolve the effect up to as many times as the value of their disc.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends after the 4th round. Scoring is calculated as follows:

1. Each player adds up their Money tokens. The player with the most money wins.
2. Tie-breaker 1: The player with the most cards wins.
3. Tie-breaker 2: The player with the most resources wins.

Tips for Winning

• Optimize the Sequence: In the Production Phase, line up your cards in the order you wish to resolve them to ensure you have the necessary resources for Processing effects.
• Strategic Upgrading: If you upgrade a card before resolving its effects in the Production Phase, you can resolve both the Basic effect and the Additional effect in the same phase.